This conversation was led by B. N. Horowitz, MD, psychiatrist and cardiologist on the faculty of Harvard Medical School, Harvard Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, UCLA Evolutionary Medicine Program and President of ISEMPH. Newly dispersing mammals, fledging birds and other animal adolescents suffer from high rates of predation, frequent social subordination, and some sexual exploitation. The diversity of evolved adaptive strategies used by other species to reduce risk can be a source of insights for better understanding high rates of accidental death, anxiety/affective disorders, and sexual victimization in human adolescents and young adults.
Resources discussed:
- Wildhood: The Epic Journey from Adolescence to Adulthood in Humans and Other Animals by Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers
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